Software-defined radio based roadside jammer detector: Architecture and results

The road transportation sector is the most dynamic and growing field of GNSS applications, far beyond vehicle navigation. Distance based road user charging systems and location based services generate important revenue streams. GNSS based advanced driver assistance systems increase the traffic efficiency and help to reduce the number of accidents. As GNSS is the primary sensor for position determination, it is important to be aware of performance degradations and have means to mitigate upcoming threats. An recent emerging threat originates from GNSS jammers, so called Personal Privacy Devices (PPDs), which are used either to hide someone's whereabouts in order to protect privacy or for criminal actions like attempting fraud on GNSS based charging systems or to disable GNSS based theft protection systems. In order to give local authorities the means to estimate the extent of the threat, a jammer detector is presented which can be easily deployed and operated at any point of interest. Results from an initial measurement campaign are presented where the detector has been deployed over several weeks at two highway gantries in the area of Munich.